Territory



(No Model.) I r J. L. GIROUX.

REVERBERATORY SMELIING AND-REFINING FURNACE. No. 510,251.. Patented Dec. 5,1893.

Ga n00: o'o/fi ooo UMTE. TATES 'ATENT Eric.

JOSEPH L. GIROUX, OF JEROME, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

RE-VERBERATORY SMELTlNG AND REFINING FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,251, dated December 5, 1893.

Application filed June 20, 1.893. Serial No. 478.270- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. GIROUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at J crome, Yavapai county, Territory of Arizona, have invented an Improvement in Reverberatory Smeltiug and Refining Furnaces; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a novel smelting IO and refining furnace which is built in a horizontal or reverberatory form instead of the usual vertical form of such furnace.

My invention consists in certain details of construction which will be more fully exr 5 plained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan View of my furnace, the brick roof being removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my furnace, the front part being :0 in section. Fig.3 is a sectional detail of the section R. The object of my invention is to provide a novel construction for smelting and refining furnaces. It consists of a horizontal furnace made in sections A, B, C and R which are continuations horizontally in line with the fire-box D. The fire-box and fire-place are built of brick having grates E, and a bridge wall over which the heat and flame pass into the first section A of the furnace. The section R is situated right behind and across the bridge wall, and therefore forms part of the bridge Wall. These sections are all made of hollow 5 metal having an outside of boiler iron and the inside R of heavy copper plate made of about the same thickness as boiler iron. These jackets contain water which is admitted through the opening F in the section 0, and discharged through the opening G in the section B, so as to keep up a constant circulation of water which prevents the undue heating of the walls of the furnace. tionsA may each be made about five feet 5 long and five feet wide, and four feet in height, and a space between the inside and outside walls of the Water jacket is about twelve inches. From the center of the second sections B, the walls commence to taper or converge for the next five feet so as to leave the width of only three feet at the end The sec-f of this section. The section 0 is made with an end door l-I about two feet square which may be opened at any time for the purpose of skimming off the slag which rises to the surface during the process of smelting. In sectionsAand B I have shown openings made in the sides at I, forming tuyeres which are from three-fourths to an inch in diameter, extending from the outside to the inside shell and serving for the admission of an air blast from the wind-boxes J. The wind-boxes J extend along the outside upon each side of the furnace and have connections with the tuyeres through which air may pass.

K are blast pipes extending around upon each side of the furnace-and connected by transverse passages L with the wind-box, so that the blast of air supplied to these pipes from any suitable air forcing mechanism, will be delivered into the wind-boxes and thence through the tuyeres into the interior of the furnace.

Upon the outside of each Wind-box, and in line with the tuyeres are holes Q through 5 which, when opened, an iron rod may be introduced to pass into and through the tuyere to prevent the inner ends of the tuyeres from becoming stopped with metal or slag from the'inside of the furnace. The tuyere openings are made tapering, being approximately an inch .in diameter Where they open through the inside shell, and about three-fourths of an inch Where they open through the outside shell, so that if any metal passes into the tuyere and becomes chilled therein,it can be easily forced out into the furnace by means of the rods introduced through the holes Q in the exterior of the wind-box.

M is a fine extending from the furnace to 0 the stack N through which the fumes from the furnace escape.

Sections A and B are separated from each other by an opening 0, and this opening is stopped with fire-clay while the furnace is 5 running, and when it is desired to draw off the metal at any time, it may be done by making a discharge through this fire-clay by means of a pointed iron bar, the metal being thus drawn oil? from any desired height. All the sections are united by elbow pipes Phaving flange connections by which they are united to the two sections, thus allowing the water to circulate from one section to the other.

WVithin the sectionsAand lithe metal will be considerably agitated by reason of the blast of air which is introduced through thetuyere openings, but in the converging portion of sections B, the blast openings may be closed, and the metal becomes quiet and without agitation in this section. This allows the slag to rise to the top of the metal and it can be then skimmed off through the end door 11 previously described.

Feed openings S may be made in the roof or at any desired point through which the ore is introduced into the furnace.

The pressure of air required in operating'a furnace of this description is from ten to fitteen pounds to the square inch. The tuyeres are made below the surface of the metal, so that the air blast is directed into the metal and not into the body of the ore as in the ordinary blast furnace.

The ores which are to be smelted contain a large quantity of sulphur, and it is, therefore, only necessary to build a small fire upon the grate for the purpose of starting the smelting, after which the sulphur which is disengaged from the ore will be sufficient to continue the process until the roasting has been completed.

The operation will then be as follows:A wood or coal fire is first made upon the grate in the fire-box, and the flames passing over the bridge wall section R and through the intermediate opening between the furnace and sections A enter sections A and raise the temperature of the ore to such a point that the smelting commences. \Vhen this commences air is introduced into the hot metal in the lower part of the chamber, and the smelting is kept up until the metal has all been drawn off from the furnace. The openings upon the outside of the wind-box which are in line with the tuyere openings may be stopped with wooden plugs or gates of any suitable construction. The number of tuyere openings upon each side of the furnace may be varied to suit the size of the furnace and the amount of air needed within.

In the converging portion of sections B I have shown inclined tuyere openings made through the walls converging toward the preceding section. These openings are closed when slag is to be skimmed from the surface in that part of sections B and it is required to have the metal quiet in this section during this time.

T represents a side door situated equally be tween the left sections A and B.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A horizontal smelting furnace consisting of water jacketed sections extending horizontally in line with each other, a fireplace in which the preliminary fire is built to start the smelting, tuyere openings made through the sides of the furnace sections, blast drums and wind-boxes through which air under pressure is admitted into the melted metal in the lower part of the furnace, and a discharge passage and chimney for the Waste gases, substantially as herein described.

2. A smelting furnace consisting of horizontal sections in line with each other, afireplace connecting with the first section, in whicha fire is built to commence the smelting, tuyere openings made through the sides of the furnace sections, wind-boxes through which air under pressure is admitted into the tuyeres to be delivered beneath the surface of the metal, a section having converging sides forming the outer end of the furnace having a door opening in the end through which slag may be skimmed from the metal, tuyeres in the converging sides of said section, and means for closing the tuyeres which open into this sec tion whereby the metal is allowed to become quiescent during the process of skimming, substantially as herein described.

3. A smelting and refining furnace consisting of separated horizontal sections connected togetherinline,andl1aving hollow metal Walls with an inside lining, the supply and dis- 9 charge passages, and pipes uniting the sections for maintaining a circulation of water through the furnace, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH L. GIROUX.

\Vitnesses:

G. W. HULL, E. W. STEPHENS. 

